Hey there,
I read on many threads here and on other sites that if your vibrant doesnt access recovery when pressing the volume buttons(both of them) and the power one together then your device is hardware locked, so apparently mine is since I've been trying to do just that for hours and miserably failed despite even viewing vids about the exact way in doing so.
Now back to my question, Im updating my vibrant to froyo (or intended to anyway) then came across many topics suggesting that updating the vibrant through kies (what I was about to use) would brick my phone. Is that true? Or is it just idiocy rumors and Im good to go. Please answer me ASAP I freaked out when I read that and immediately unplugged my vibrant but don't worry kies was only in download mode as in downloading the update from the internet not into my precious vibrant
Wow, I certainly didn't expect ut to be that impossible of a question.
Some people have had issues, a lot with your story (hardware locked, never rooted or flash a custom rom). There is a way to enable the three button recovery and I believe that you can get into download mode without it, so there's always an option if it does brick your phone.
Actually, from what I read, the only way to un-brick a bricked phone is by rooting it and going to recovery which would involve the three buttons procedure. So if Im to rely on that option I have to find a way to unlock my hardware first before installing the update not after it as there's no way to do so after that.
In any case, it would be really helpful if you provide me with the way (or link) to how hardware unlock a vibrant. As you seem to agree with the say that a hardware locked phone will be bricked.
Well it looks like my Vibrant is actually rooted since I have the Rom Manager running safe and sound and the icon android superuser permission icon in the apps. I just backed up my data on the SD via Rom manager.
Now the new question is; does this mean that I have nothing to fear when/if I update my device? Please guys, help me with this as Im a noob really and can't make up my mind as I need the update to help me browse arabic sites but yet Im afraid this would end up bricking my phone.
Remove battery, plug in usb to pc, then put in battery while holding volume buttons. If you can get to download mode then you're pretty much unbrickable. If not there's the option of a jig you can make or buy if you want that can get you into dl mode. The way to enable the three button combo should be easy to find, Ill search for it when I get home.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804305
Related
Hello folks,
Generally loving my Vibrant, of course hungry for Froyo. I have two Vibrants, the first I've been using and have modded it with root and other enhancements. I gave the other phone to a friend as a gift, but when I wanted to root theirs using the same method I've used on multiple occasions, it would NOT boot into the recovery mode. I use the UP + DOWN push, plus the power button. No dice, just get the cheesy "come together" Tmobile screen, I tried up, down, waited for the Samsung to flash twice, no dice. It was not that complicated on my phone and I can continue to do so. I have looked up threads and there is suspicion that T Mobile disabled this on later vesrions? This version was shipped to me slightly after my own, within a week or so.
It would be disheartening if I couldn't root and make his phone more efficient to deal with the battery hog issues as well as other enhancments. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I've treid multiple combinations and never get into the utility/recovery screen.
Any thoughts on this? I tried rooting before that with the Ryan one click lag fix, and it seemed to indicate it was done,b ut then Iwhen I opened ROM manager, it said it was not rooted yet. Then when I tried the one click app fix again, it mentioned it couldn't because soemthing about the SD card mounting,etc. I could put the stock PIT file on it via ODIN could I not? But I dont' want to go to all that hassle if it's something else. Is there a another app solution that can root for you? I can mount and drag the update zip there, but can't get tot he screen to reinstall packages.
Hopefully TMobile isn't stripping this down so we can't customize and it's something else but I'm trying all combinations short of doing the hokey pokey.
Thanks in advance!
Kelly
Samsung Vibrant
Apparently either Samsung or Tmobile are having the option disabled via the normal ways to get into recovery. There are numerous other threads regarding this throughout the forums detailing other peoples experiences regarding this.
Take a look here for one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=771247
Join the club. I'm on my third vibrant with this same issue. I am returning it this week for a refund. My first....and last samsung phone.
thank you guys, I was afraid of that. one of the phones greatest assets was it's hackability. Froyo had better do something with battery consumption, speed, etc, or this phone will be a great screen and not much more. boo to hardware lockdowns! let the hackers hack and if you want to void the warranty, do it. I'll see about this ADB mode, I'm wondering if someone can create an app that would successfully root so ROM manager will work. I wonder why the one click fix lag app, which supposedly roots, did not. It seems like an overall lock down on this access?
At any rate, I'll try the other options but it's looking like more and more, my buddy will be a slave to Samsung release timeframe, and thats assuming froyo and updates will fix significant bugs and improve battery life.
thanks again guys! I'll keep trying.
And what about the download mode, can you get in it?
not sure, you mean the little digging android feller? I will try that, I gave the phone to my friend but sent him the page in this thread earlier regarding multiple attempts to get into either / or mode. would that actaully help install the packages aka root the phone? I only used that last time to reinstall via Odin, the T Mobile factory build because it was soft bricked due to a bad lag fix that froze the phone on the Samsung logo.
download mode , can that get it rooted? Or just wanting to know if all hardware access has been blocked?"
not sure, you mean the little digging android feller? I will try that, I gave the phone to my friend but sent him the page in this thread earlier regarding multiple attempts to get into either / or mode. would that actaully help install the packages aka root the phone? I only used that last time to reinstall via Odin, the T Mobile factory build because it was soft bricked due to a bad lag fix that froze the phone on the Samsung logo.
download mode , can that get it rooted? Or just wanting to know if all hardware access has been blocked?
Yeah, that the digging guy. It won't help you to get rooted, but i can't get in download mode, so if you can advise me how can i do that, i appreciate
EDIT : I am now offering a $100 reward via PayPal to anyone that can offer me a solution to this problem. If you do not have a PayPal account, I will mail you a check for $100. Those are my only methods for payment. I am 100% serious about this by the way. From what I'm told, Nandroid backups are stored on the internal SD card, so even once the replacement phone arrives, I could not restore the nandroid backups on the (currently) broken phone over to the new one. I absolutely HAVE to get to those backups, and it is well worth $100 to me. NOTE : to be eligible for the reward, you MUST read the entire thread. I have already exhausted many common solutions to problems like this one, and am getting tired of getting offered the same advice over and over. If you fail to read the thread and offer me a solution that I have already attempted, I will not give you the $100 reward, even if you later are the one that comes up with the solution to my problem.
Please delete my other threads, I can't edit the title on them and they are outdated now.
This is my situation in a nutshell.
Downloaded Obsidian v2, wiped and flashed it. (this is my girlfriend's phone) - she did not like 2.2, so I wiped data/cache and attempted to restore the nandroid backup I had made. After hanging on 'restoring data' for 30 minutes I rebooted the phone, and now I'm here. The phone boots to the Vibrant logo only, I can get absolutely no other logos to show up no matter what I do. I realize now that I needed to flash a 2.1 kernel prior to restoring the Nandroid backup, but on my Droid, when I restore a nandroid backup that includes the kernel, so I did not know this step was necessary.
I have downloaded Odin but I have NEVER used it, so I am completely lost there as well. As far as I know, I simply need to download Odin, and then follow one of the many methods to access download mode. I have tried about 15 different methods of holding the buttons on the phone, plugging in the USB cable at the right time, etc. etc. etc. None of the methods work. The phone boots up to the Vibrant logo each and every time, no matter what. I downloaded and installed the Kies software so the drivers should be installed.
What do I do now? The phone is not hardware locked because I've used the buttons to access recovery many times. Is there a step I'm missing when it comes to Odin or do I just download it and open it? PLEASE give me instructions as if I am a child, because obviously whatever I'm doing is not working. PLEASE no vague instructions. I do not know how to use adb, odin, or basically how to do anything at all with this phone. I am a Droid user, and after I get her phone back to the way it was I will never attempt to hack it again. Thank you.
edit : also, yes I have pulled the SD card/SIM card.
I'm ready to give up on this.. is it possible to return this phone to T Mobile for a replacement, and if so, will her nandroid backups and titanium backup info be stored on her SD card? Then I could just root her new phone and restore the nandroid backup and be done with it. I promise, once I find some kind of solution, I am never hacking a Vibrant again. Far too complicated to hack non-stock google phones.
use Odin 1.3 or maybe higher
velocity92c said:
I'm ready to give up on this.. is it possible to return this phone to T Mobile for a replacement, and if so, will her nandroid backups and titanium backup info be stored on her SD card? Then I could just root her new phone and restore the nandroid backup and be done with it. I promise, once I find some kind of solution, I am never hacking a Vibrant again. Far too complicated to hack non-stock google phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm at work but do a search for odin 1.3 which worked for me. There is a thread that had all the files you need to get the phone back to stock kernel and all. If you haven't resolved the problem by tomorrow I'll try to find the thread for you or post the files if I can from my computer.
I'm already using 1.3 and I've already downloaded the all in one pack of files I need. Still can't get past the Vibrant screen to use Odin. I'm guessing since nobody has responded back with a way to fix this that I'm hosed, so can I take the phone to a TMO store and get a new one?
Download Mode
velocity92c said:
I'm already using 1.3 and I've already downloaded the all in one pack of files I need. Still can't get past the Vibrant screen to use Odin. I'm guessing since nobody has responded back with a way to fix this that I'm hosed, so can I take the phone to a TMO store and get a new one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried turning the phone off then while holding the volume down button only, have odin running and plug in the usb cable to the phone? It should power on into download mode like that.
Email me [email protected]
The best phone in the world
I have literally tried every possible combination of holding down buttons, powering up, usb cable in, out, etc. etc. I searched the forum and tried at least 30n different "surefire" methods. Odin always sits there and does nothing, and the phone just goes to the vibrant screen.
jaliscojorge said:
Have you tried turning the phone off then while holding the volume down button only, have odin running and plug in the usb cable to the phone? It should power on into download mode like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to build an extremely ghetto Jig, which is just a 301kohm resistor going across pins 4 and 5 of a microusb plug. It sounds hard but its really not that bad, and unfortunately its the only way to get your phone into downloader mode if its hardware locked, like mine is.
As mentioned previously the phone is not hardware locked. I've accesssed recovery several times with the standard methods. Just got back from Tmobile and it will be a week before the new phone gets here. There has to be a way to fix this. Someone please help?
This is pretty weird because if the phone is not hardware locked, there's no reason that you can't get into download mode.
Just to be clear, so are you saying when you hold vol up + vol down ONLY, you will get vibrant screen?
Or when you hold volup + vol down THEN plug in the usb, it goes to Vibrant screen?
You need to be in download mode to use Odin, not recovery mode. Have you ever gotten into download mode via hardware? Was 'usb debugging' enabled? If so, go into download mode and follow Eugene's Froyo that doesn't brick.
I don't know how I can be anymore clear that the phone is not HWL and I cannot access download mode. I'm not trying to be an ass, it's just a very frustrating situation. I know you need to be in download mode to use Odin. I cannot get to download mode or this would be a cinch.
And to the poster before ^ this one, the phone goes to the Vibrant screen regardless of what button combination I press, or whether or not I hit any buttons at all. I've literally tried every combination possible, many many times.
I'm ready to throw this phone out the window. I have a hard time believing I am the only one to ever have this issue. It seems as though the answer to most problems is download mode + Odin but that does me no good.
Is there literally nothing else I can try?
From what I understand email thegreat520 he is supposed to be the guy to talk to I've heard it from a few posts
Still flashing
I know it can be frustrating, but excuse me for starting with the basics...
have you followed this youtube guide? I put it in the sticky because it was very helpful in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnY7P14JSWQ
Here is another way I have not seen before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9LYLoK1Qog
and why not post another
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqxearzXrVY
I had the same issue search my post I used a froyo Rom when the phone 1st came out I download then something went wrong will flashing a new Rom I tried and tried odin did not work bc NO download mode I had got my phone the day it came out I just sent it back to tmobile pm ill explain how
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Same issue
Used download mode many times, then did the same exact thing you did with the obsidian ROM. Now i cant get into download mode at all.
The method that worked 100% of the time previously (holding both volume buttons and then plugging the phone in while odin is runing) does not work. Tried a bunch of different methods and nothing.
There has to be a way to get around this.
OP, please try the method in the general sticky. It seems to fix the HWL issue.
WOW!
Without even plugging anything in, I:
1) Turned phone off
2) Held Vol. Down + Home button + Power
And that got me into download mode. I will proceed to try flashing back to stock now.
I have tried all the methods in the videos, and the issue is not related to the phone being HWL. It is not HWL. I have used the buttons to access the modes before. So please give me something unique to try besides a button combination, because none of them work. Am I literally the only one in the world that has ever had this problem before? I will paypal someone 50 bucks if they can help me fix this and that's not a lie. Her new phone won't be here for weeks and she is currently without a phone. Maybe I'm doing SOMETHING wrong but it is definitely not a button combination. I have literally tried them all, including with the USB cable in and out, and plugging it in at certain times during the process. Don't you normally get a charging icon when you plug the phone into the computer? All I get is the vibrant screen. Even if the phone is off, if I plug it into a computer without hitting any buttons, it turns on and goes to the vibrant screen. 50 dollars via paypal. You can't beat that. If you don't have paypal I will mail you a check, and no this is not a joke.
So I'm pretty much screwed huh? Can someone tell me if nandroid backups are stored on the SD card on the Vibrant? I will just wait til the new phone gets here and put the old SD card in the new phone and restore it if so.
What Happened:
I have an unlocked SGS2 running with orange, Punta Cana, Dominican Rep.
I tried to upgrade from 2.3.4 to 2.3.5 using odin and Samsung_GALAXY_S2_ATT_I777UCKJ1_ when it went to a loop almost finishing, of course did the stupid thing of unplugging it after waiting for some time and the phone bricked. After finding out desperately, I use this CF-Root-SGS2_XW_XEU_KE2-v4.0-CWM4 with odin and it got rooted and running, but I got the AT&T rom and no wifi, plus poor quality calls(people can barely hear me). Kept doing more stupid things, I used Gingerbreak to unroot(yes, I'm stupid, but I was desperate), and what it did was disabling superuser, so when I try to use CWM, it says that it needs supeuser. I'm stucked!!! casuse I can't flash the phone or put it in a download mode anymore, please help to restore it as it was before, rooted or unrooted with a Samsung roam.
Thanks in advance.
Turn the phone off then hold down home and volume up and power it on again (keep holding home and volume up). That puts it in recovery mode so you can flash with CWM. Alternatively, hold down home and volume down when powering up to enter download mode where you can use Odin to flash.
Flash from whichever suits you best.
Since you've done a few different things and may have got it a bit messy, I'd recommend you flash a stock firmware to get back to a good state and then decide where you want to go from there.
Look at the bookmarks in my signature for links to branded and unbranded firmware.
Read, read, and read some more before you do anything! Good luck
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
I've tried that, but just reboots normally. I'll keep trying though. I will love to put it back where it was before, I've been depressed since last night. Thanks for answering, will let you know whatever happens.
Thx
Hey, I just could get into download mode and rooted it good, but I still have the AT&T thing coming out, and I'm sure that's why I can't get no wifi or good call quality, still can get hspa, but of course, charges will be made, so how Can I get rid of the AT&T thing?
This may turn out a bit long...
My s2 has been playing up in one way or another for a few months now such as freezing, turning itself off and kept going into drive mode by itself then last week all my messages deleted and I couldn't send or receive any more and then the next day it turned itself off and I can't get it back on properly. It turns on, goes onto the Samsung Galaxy S2 screen then onto the O2 welcome screen then to the screen with the flashing S then just goes between that and the O2 screen over and over again. Been looking for help the last few days and the main thing I could find was to go into recovery mode and restore it but I can't do that because my home key doesn't work. So nor could I do the second thing I read could help which was to go into download mode and flash it. I didn't even know anything about recovery mode, download mode, flashing, rom, odin or anything else until last week. My phone is exactly as I bought it. I then read about a usb jig which would force it into download mode which I got today and it didn't do anything. I actually couldn't care less about the phone, I would love to just smash it to bits! BUT is there any chance I will ever be able to do anything get it back on just once so I can get my photos and videos off it? I've connected it to the computer but it comes up as an Android Modem so that I can't get the files off that way and it won't connect through Kies either. I know sending it to be repaired would end up with it coming back totally wiped so no point doing that. I normally wouldn't be so bothered it's just there's pictures of my daughter's first birthday and holiday and videos of her first steps. Is there anything else that can be done? Thanks.
There's a 0.000001% chance the phone will boot normally & your stuff will be intact if you can get into download mode & flash a one part stock rom. The more likely scenario is you'll need to flash a 3 part rom which will wipe the device.
You could try ADB to get into download mode, but you're going to need to be motivated to learn how to use it (plenty of tutorials on XDA/elsewhere; search). If that doesn't work for whatever reason, try fixing the home button.
Being a former betting man though, I don't like your chances of recovering data.
MistahBungle said:
There's a 0.000001% chance the phone will boot normally & your stuff will be intact if you can get into download mode & flash a one part stock rom. The more likely scenario is you'll need to flash a 3 part rom which will wipe the device.
You could try ADB to get into download mode, but you're going to need to be motivated to learn how to use it (plenty of tutorials on XDA/elsewhere; search). If that doesn't work for whatever reason, try fixing the home button.
Being a former betting man though, I don't like your chances of recovering data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. I don't have a clue what a one part or three part rom are sorry! Doesn't look good then. I'm so annoyed. I had planned to sort through my files and get them backed up last weekend because I knew this would end up happening and the stupid phone died on Thursday! I don't think fixing my home button would help because the volume button didn't work much either, it's a wreck to be honest! Had a quick look at ADB, looks complicated but I'll have a proper look later on as a final hope otherwise I'll just have to accept my files are gone for good
Just an update...tried to get into download mode with adb but it doesn't find my phone. Is this because it only comes up as an android modem by any chance? Think I may have to give up hope. At least I will learn from this and back things up a lot more often!
Hey guys, please forgive me for any bad etiquette or lack of information (any information I can provide is available upon request if I leave anything out). I am new to forums in general and especially to XDA, which seems like a good place to get help.
I recently purchased a Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet from Craigslist under the assumption it was a fully unlocked tablet not associated to a carrier. Turns out it was a Verizon Z2 tablet. I dislike Verizon with a firey passion and without getting into too many details, I'm fairly certain they won't help me because a) this tablet wasn't purchased through them as a customer and b) Verizon and I have bad history (unauthorized account modification, shady charges, etc.)
So I thought I'd do my best to make the tablet mine since the asshole who sold it to me has ceased all contact and I don't know how to get a hold of him anymore. No receipt and a data-less tablet.
Anyway, I successfully rooted the tablet and began installing apps that I installed for my G4 when I rooted it (SuperSU, Adaway, Greenify, etc.)
Things were going well but I realised I wanted anything that had to do with Verizon removed from the tablet so I was going to flash Cyanogenmod onto it with a guide I found online. Now rooting and installing custom recoveries was familiar territory and I did these flawlessly. It had TWRP and I made a backup of the system -no Nandroid, sadly-and I began the flashing process. The process said it completed without issue and I went to reboot my device. Enter my current situation:
The device, when I attempted to turn it on, all it did was vibrate constantly until I let go of the power button. Attempting to enter recovery mode (green LED, power + vol down) it showed me, instead of TWRP, a very basic recovery mode with basic options. "Continue booting up", "enter safe mode", "system recovery", and "power down". I tried entering safe mode and it just shut back down, I tried doing a system recovery and it shut down. The only time I ever see the "SONY" logo is if I'm entering this mode. I can enter what I assume is "fastboot mode" (power + vol up and plugging the device into a PC). Nothing on the screen but the LED is blue. I am trying to find guides to restore it if I can and it all looks promising but the only things I know how to really do are root and install custom recovery. I know there are PC tools I can use to send commands to it while it's in fastboot, or send commands in general I just don't know where to begin.
Does anyone know how to fix this? I know it was from Verizon, which sucks, and I know the problem most likely occurred with the attempted flashing of Cyanogenmod. I think I read somewhere I might have done something regarding mismatching kernal numbers. I couldn't find a way to unlock the bootloader so I assume that had something to do with it too.
If someone could give me a guide to restore it to at least its stock ROM where I can begin rooting and installing a custom recovery again, that would be great. Even better would be just flashing a ROM on there that doesn't need Verizon or being able to take it to a stage where it's unlocked and the only evidence it was ever with a carrier is the Verizon logo on the back. I'd really hate to think I wasted money on this and now I'm at a dead end because of a mistake I made. This was supposed to be a gift for my mom on her birthday which is coming up soon. So if anyone knows anything, or has a guide where we can at least get the thing bootable again and I'll just try and deal with a rooted locked device, that would be great.
Thanks for considerations,
Marmalade_Shaws
I have spent time on that screen too.
2 things
1. .. If you installed dual recovery, there is an up, down sequence to select the recovery.
2. Find a downgrade guide, use flashtool to flash. Ft back to stock.
Also you need to know what hardware you are running..511, 561.. And use the proper version.
There are some options with the flashtool and prf maker that can remove branding and vendor stuff. I have not tried those options.
Ez-go said:
I have spent time on that screen too.
2 things
1. .. If you installed dual recovery, there is an up, down sequence to select the recovery.
2. Find a downgrade guide, use flashtool to flash. Ft back to stock.
Also you need to know what hardware you are running..511, 561.. And use the proper version.
There are some options with the flashtool and prf maker that can remove branding and vendor stuff. I have not tried those options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry if this is late... But where can I find the stock? I've searched everywhere and I would need to do it from a flash tool on my PC? I could use all the help I can get.
I just had a very similar experience to the OP, seemingly identical in every way, and am curious if anyone has a solution.
ADB won't function at all, and the bootloader has blocked any sort of flashing via fastboot. Can't boot into TWRP, it goes into a very minimal "recovery," which I imagine is the stock tool, and the Factory Restore option there does absolutely nothing. Flashtool would work great if ADB / Flashmode was at all functional (device blinks and vibrates in a fashion typical of something bricked, and no connection is picked up).
Verizon Z2 Tablets are 561s.
This thing dead or is there some way to push back onto it?